Ask Velma anything.
The questions physicians and office managers ask before they hire us, answered plainly.
Compliance and security
Are your virtual medical assistants HIPAA compliant?
Patient data stays in your systems; Ask Velma keeps no copies of PHI. Our contractors access PHI only inside systems you provision, under a BAA. Contractors complete HIPAA training through Accountable before placement, with a dated certificate on file and confidentiality and patient-privacy practices reinforced throughout the engagement. A Business Associate Agreement is in place from day one, device-security attestations are on file, and time tracking with activity visibility keeps everything transparent. You own your systems, your policies and your oversight; we confirm and document compliance with them at defined checkpoints.
Is your staff HIPAA certified?
No government HIPAA certification exists, and we will not pretend otherwise. Every VA completes Accountable's HIPAA training before placement and holds a dated certificate that we provide on request. Ask Velma runs its own compliance program on the same platform, and the current attestation is available to your compliance team.
Who is liable if something goes wrong?
Responsibilities are set out in the signed agreements between your practice, the contractor and Ask Velma. Ask Velma is a US-domiciled Texas entity based in Houston and carries commercial general liability, professional liability and cyber coverage. If your compliance team wants coverage detail, we will provide a certificate of insurance for your broker to review.
Can my VA work inside my existing systems?
Yes. VAs work in Epic, eClinicalWorks, Athenahealth, Dentrix, Crystal PM, OfficeMate, AdvancedMD, Kareo and most other systems, plus your VoIP, under credentials you control.
Placement and onboarding
How fast can a VA start?
Discovery call to signed MSA usually happens the same week. Candidate profiles arrive five to seven days after signing, and your chosen VA starts about a week after that, including EHR orientation for your system. Most practices go from first call to a working VA inside three weeks.
Do I get to choose my VA?
Always. You review shortlisted profiles, watch video introductions and interview candidates before anyone starts. You choose, not us.
What if the fit is not right?
Tell your coordination contact and we begin sourcing a replacement immediately, at no fee. We staff for long-term fit, so it rarely comes up.
Money
What does the hourly rate include?
Everything: the contractor's above-market rate, a wellness subsidy, HIPAA training, ongoing skill development, coverage continuity, a named Ask Velma coordination contact, and time tracking with activity visibility. No setup, recruiting or cancellation fees.
Are there contracts or minimums?
The paperwork is a simple Master Service Agreement (MSA), Statement of Work (SOW) and Business Associate Agreement (BAA), with no cancellation fees. Engagements start at a minimum of 32 hours per week, billed bi-weekly by ACH or card.
How do you compare to hiring locally?
A fully loaded US front-office hire runs about $56,000 a year at 40 hours a week. The same coverage with Ask Velma is about $21,580. The pricing page has a calculator to run your own numbers.
Working together, day to day
How fast do I see candidates after signing?
Matching starts the day the MSA is signed. Profiles and video introductions arrive within five to seven days. You interview and choose.
Does my VA work with our phone system?
Yes. Velma VAs work inside your existing VoIP daily: Nextiva, RingCentral, 8x8, Vonage, Spruce and others. If you are choosing a phone system, we are glad to walk your provider through the setup on a call.
Can I give my VA a bonus or a rate increase?
Any time. Tell us the amount and it is added to your next invoice and paid through to your VA in full. Clients do this often: this summer alone, clients added over $2,350 in unprompted bonuses for their VAs.
What happens if my VA loses power or internet mid-shift?
Every contractor attests to backup internet and backup power as a condition of placement. If a VA still drops offline, tell us and we respond the same business day: we reach the VA, arrange coverage where needed, and follow up on their backup setup.
Can you onboard someone I found myself?
Yes. Some clients bring their own candidate and have us run the platform side: onboarding, HIPAA training, device-security attestation, time tracking, contracting, invoicing and ongoing support. Same rate, same coverage.
How do holidays and days off work?
Your practice covers 6 US federal holidays and 5 non-worked days a year at the standard hourly rate for your VA's scheduled hours. Your VA follows the US holiday calendar, not the holiday calendar of their home country.
Who manages the VA day to day?
You direct the work, inside your systems and your policies. Ask Velma handles everything around it: sourcing, vetting, training, contracting, invoicing and a named coordination contact who checks in with you regularly.
Do you work with practices outside the US?
Our clients are primarily US practices, and we also support Canadian clinics. Your VA works your time zone either way.